[Sportsandrec] New to the list.

[Ashley Bramlett]

Hi Charlie,
Welcome.  Can I ask why you're living alone?  Having a room mate may be a 
good companion and keep costs down.    I guess your family lives elsewhere.

Anyway, yes going back to a healthy diet
and increasing your aerobic exercise will have positive effects and you'll 
likely get off meds then.  Family history plays a role; so if your family 
has high blood pressure you might too regardless of your lifestyle.
Still either way diet and exercise goes a long way toward controlling this 
condition and many others.

I recently graduated college and I'm figuring out my future now.  My 
workouts are simple.  I walk or jog on the treadmill.  I also use cardio 
equipment at the gym such as the bike and elliptical.
Just moving to music including jumping jacks is something I do as well at 
home.
I agree with your friend you need more cardio workouts.  Thirty minutes a 
day is the minimum reccommendation.


What you do to be in shape depends on your resources and time.  If you 
belong to a gym you have access to many cardio equipment and classes.  If 
you can afford equipment you may want to buy a treadmill or bike for home 
use.  To make your heart more efficient and decrease the pulse rate cardio 
will do this unless you have some heart problem.
Cardio workouts make the heart more efficient at pumping the blood out with 
each beat; stroke volume I think its called.
I took health a while ago.  A lower resting pulse is one of the good effects 
of exercise.  You need to elevate your heart rate for a mild intensity 
workout.  Mild intensity is 65% to 75% of your age predicted maximum heart 
rate.  You get this by doing the equation 220 minus your age.  Then that 
number multiplied by .65 or .75 to get your desired beats per minute.  You 
change the percent to decimal.  High intensity is 85% of your max heart 
rate.  Without a heart rate monitor though you wouldn't know your pulse rate 
while exercising.  They still make talking heart rate monitors but not sure 
who sells it; LisaMaria or someone can supply that info.

Without a heart rate monitor just judge how hard you're working by how you 
feel.  If you are breathing faster then you're probably working enough.

I worked with a personal trainer and that's how I know those formulas. 
Question for you.

When I can afford it I'd love to take pilates
with a personal trainer using the machine called the reformer.  Can you tell 
me about it?  Why did you choose pilates reformer over the standard pilates 
mat exercises? Does it strengthen your muscles?  Does it help in 
flexibility?  I've seen those reformers and they look neat.
I wonder what benefits there are in it compared with mat pilates?
I heard pilates helps with back problems so keep doing it if you can.  I 
don't have back problems now but my back does get tight.  I want to prevent 
back problems so pilates and/or yoga would be a great thing for me.

Ashley


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charlie Richardson" <charlieofalbany at hotmail.com>
To: <sportsandrec at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 19, 2009 12:07 PM
Subject: [Sportsandrec] New to the list.


> Hello,
>
> I just joined this list for a couple reasons.  I did see a couple items on 
> the agenda at National Convention and wanted to attend, but conflicts kept 
> me from doing so.
>
> I have for the past 3 plus years been doing machine based Pilates with a 
> personal trainer here in Albany.  Although it has helped me with several 
> conditions, back spasms and pain in the shoulder, I think there is more 
> that I should be doing.
>
> I've also had quite the year in changes in my life, especially living 
> alone and letting my healthy diet go.  I've been put on medicine for high 
> blood pressure and think that if I go back to my healthy diet I can 
> probably get off the meds.  I bought a blood pressure monitor and although 
> my blood pressure is better now on the meds, my concern is my elevated 
> pulse.  It's just never under 80 anymore.  A friend said I should be doing 
> more cardio exercises.  I use to have a monitor that strapped to my chest 
> and would keep me in a targeted zone.  I don't know where it is and looked 
> on several websites and the Oregon Scientific seems to be out of stock 
> everywhere which makes me believe it might be discontinued.
>
> Just wondering what solutions other blind people are using to keep in 
> shape.  I wanted to see the accessible rowing machine at convention, but 
> as I said before.
>
> Anyway, thought I would introduce myself and see what kind of help I could 
> get here.
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